In the 1950s, before there was an alternative or complementary health field, Ann Wigmore was shaken by words from a Harvard oncologist that predicted her demise. Her childhood in an Eastern European village as a granddaughter of the local doctor afforded her a privileged education in the natural methods that were then used to conquer disease. When Ann faced her own grim prognosis, she utilized pure plant-based foods, natural medicine and, most importantly, optimism.

After conquering her advanced cancer, Wigmore could not keep what she had learned a secret, so she created the world’s first residential natural health center in the heart of New England. Hippocrates Health Institute emerged as the leader in alternative healthcare. Since its early days, hundreds of thousands of people have participated in the Life Transformation Program at the 50-acre Hippocrates campus, now located in South Florida.

Dr. Ann, as she was affectionately known, gave birth to the wheatgrass and raw food movement. The Institute gained an international reputation from those who have conquered disease and successfully slowed the premature aging process. This non-profit organization welcomes guests from every corner of the globe with serious maladies, or who simply have the desire to maintain vigor. The resort setting should not fool anyone, since the most powerful cutting-edge, non-invasive healthcare methods are utilized in Hippocrates’ quest to produce exceptional health.

The West Palm Beach facility attracts average men and women, and Olympic athletes and film stars. Each participant in this life-changing program jumpstarts their journey to health with state-of-the-art modalities such as cold laser therapy, Ondamed, Cyberscan, H-Wave, gemstone therapies, psychotherapy, bodywork, infrared saunas, steam baths and vibrational sound therapy. What brings alumni back is Hippocrates’ relentless pursuit of knowledge, technology and therapies. The educational material offered covers a wide array of practical lifestyle methods and life-enriching principles.

One night as I was strolling by one of the pools, I heard a guest referring to Hippocrates as “a peaceful oasis of clarity.” The guest went on to say how surprised she was to meet fellow attendees from 14 different countries. Joc from Switzerland, a six-time alumnus, was riddled with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia 10 years ago. Joc now visits Hippocrates on holiday and, during a recent visit, he laughed and said, “I spent a fortune with the top doctors in Europe to no avail. After 21 days of sipping green juice, eating organic plant based food, and being pampered with everything from massage to colonics and IVs, I forgot what I had come to Hippocrates for, as I no longer felt weak and sick.”

Each year more health-seekers are afforded the privilege of learning how to live fruitful and healthful lives, and can pass this information on for generations to come. This is certainly what has happened for those who have had the wisdom to sign up for this transformative and life-changing program. hippocratesinstitute.org